Overview
Mag Blast is a fast-paced card game of interstellar warfare. Each player commands a fleet built around a unique command ship, using fleet ships, blasts, and special action cards to destroy opponents’ command ships. The last player with a surviving command ship wins.
Components
- 10 Command Ship cards
- 54 Fleet Ship cards (12 Scouts, 12 Cruisers, 10 Destroyers, 8 Carriers, 6 Dreadnoughts, 3 Minesweepers, 3 Gunships)
- 101 Action cards (50 Blasts: 18 Laser, 22 Beam, 10 Mag; 22 Miscellaneous; 13 Squadrons; 8 Direct Hits; 8 Direct Hit Effects)
Setup
- Shuffle the command ship, fleet ship, and action card decks separately.
- Each player is dealt 1 command ship (placed face-up).
- Each player is dealt 6 fleet ships face-down, chooses 4, and places 1 in each of the command ship’s 4 color-coded zones. Discard the 2 unused ships. Flip all fleet ships face-up.
- Each player is dealt 5 action cards (kept hidden).
- The player with the lowest total fleet ship hull strength goes first.
- On the first turn of the game, all players skip the Discard and Draw phases.
Turn Structure
Each turn consists of 5 phases in order:
- Discard – Discard any unwanted cards from your hand.
- Draw – Draw from the action deck until you have 5 cards. If you already have 5+, skip this phase. No maximum hand size.
- Reinforce – Build new fleet ships by discarding resource icons.
- Maneuver – Move fleet ships between zones.
- Attack – Fire blasts at enemy ships.
Phase 3: Reinforce
Discard action cards with resource icons (Star, Circle, Diamond) to draw new fleet ships:
- 3 resources of one type, OR
- 1 of each type (1 Star + 1 Circle + 1 Diamond)
Place new fleet ships in any zone (max 3 ships per zone).
Phase 4: Maneuver
Each fleet ship may move a number of zones equal to its speed. Movement is between adjacent zones (clockwise or counterclockwise around the command ship). Max 3 ships per zone at end of phase. The command ship never moves.
Phase 5: Attack
For each of your fleet ships, you may fire one blast at an enemy ship. Requirements:
- The firing ship must have a turret matching the blast’s turret requirement (color and size).
- The target must be in the zone directly opposite the firing ship’s zone.
- Play the blast card on the target ship. Damage accumulates; when damage equals or exceeds hull strength, the ship is destroyed.
- “Make a Silly Noise or Miss!” rule: When firing a blast, you must make an appropriate sound effect. If you forget, the blast misses!
Attacking a Command Ship: You can only fire at a command ship through an empty zone (no fleet ships defending it).
Actions
- Blasts: Attack cards with turret requirements and damage values.
- Squadrons: Played from carriers; attack enemy ships in specific zones.
- Direct Hits: Devastating attacks with special effects.
- Miscellaneous cards: Various special effects (reinforcements, evasive maneuvers, etc.).
- “ANY TURN” cards: May be played during any step of any player’s turn.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
- When a command ship takes damage equal to or exceeding its hull strength, it is destroyed and that player is eliminated.
- The last player with a surviving command ship wins.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Command Abilities: Each command ship has a unique racial ability. Some abilities may be used only 3 times per game (track with counters).
- Carrier Ability: Carriers can launch squadrons – special action cards that attack from the carrier’s zone.
- Minesweeper Ability: Minesweepers can remove mines placed in zones.
- Zone Maximum: No more than 3 fleet ships in any single zone at end of maneuver phase.
- Reshuffling: If the action deck runs out, reshuffle the discard pile.
- Cards marked “ANY TURN” may be played reactively during opponents’ turns.
- A single card may have multiple resource icons, allowing efficient reinforcement.
Player Reference
| Ship Type |
Typical Hull |
Speed |
Special |
| Scout |
2-3 |
3 |
Fast, fragile |
| Cruiser |
4-6 |
2 |
Balanced |
| Destroyer |
6-8 |
2 |
Heavy firepower |
| Carrier |
6-8 |
1 |
Launches squadrons |
| Dreadnought |
10-12 |
1 |
Massive hull, heavy weapons |
| Minesweeper |
3-4 |
2 |
Removes mines |
| Gunship |
5-7 |
2 |
Multiple turrets |
| Phase |
Action |
| 1. Discard |
Discard unwanted cards |
| 2. Draw |
Draw up to 5 cards |
| 3. Reinforce |
Spend resources to draw fleet ships |
| 4. Maneuver |
Move ships between zones |
| 5. Attack |
Fire blasts at enemy ships |